Saturday, April 11, 2015

Is Marty Golden absolutely f-*@#-ing nuts — Or do he and his crack staff actually believe their own press releases when they bounce back whole in the local press echo chamber ? ? ?

What’s with a very UNCOOL Brooklyn Republican State Senator Martin Golden making threats of a “Nuclear Option” against his largely Democratic fellow legislators if they don’t push for a proposed tax give-away to businesses, mostly to benefit certain public and Orthodox Jewish Schools — Golden even trotted-out an “un-named” Rabbi; and even pointed to some “un-named” Jewish groups that quickly beat a retreat from State Senator Golden’s inflammatory remarksIs Golden just trying to curry particular favor with the small pockets of Orthodox Jews in his district, or is he trying to distract everybody’s attention from other embarrassing facts about the budget recently passed in Albany, with connections to Golden's Moreland mess

What’s with the wild man picture accompanying a New York Observer piece by Ross Barkan about State Senator Martin Golden’s latest tirade against what seems to be everybody in Albany but Golden himself ( See “State Senator: ‘Nuclear Option’ May Be Used to Unseat Pols Who Don’t Back Tax Credit” by Ross Barkan, 4/7/15, New York Observer/ observer.com [http://observer.com/2015/04/state-senator-nuclear-option-may-be-used-to-unseat-pols-who-dont-back-tax-credit/]).

POSSIBLY A MYTHIC FABLE OF WORDS AND DEEDS

One suspects that after last year's blow-out re-election, Marty G. and his staff of bards and troubadours are feeling the kind of invincibility that comes from reading your own press releases recited back to you verbatim by the more compliant parts of the local media establishment. It's hubris like that, which leads to stories like this [And I'm not comparing Golden to a golden-greaved Achilles... This story is much more mundane]. Plus, such a sense of invincibility leads to a fool-hardiness, like continuing to fund the kinds of things that were mentioned in the Moreland Report that set off Federal Prosecutor Preet Bharara in the first place.

GOLDEN THREATENS “NUCLEAR OPTION” BY JEWISH GROUPS IF BUSINESS TAX BREAK ISN’T PASSED TO BENEFIT A RELATIVELY SMALL GROUP OF STUDENTS

Here’s how Ross Barkan reported it — word for word, from the beginning: “A prominent state senator recently claimed that religious groups may try to oust state lawmakers who won’t support a controversial education tax credit. *** State Senator Martin Golden, a Brooklyn Republican, said religious groups, particularly one tied to an unnamed rabbi, would use a ‘nuclear option’ if the education investment tax credit–a bill that would give a tax credit to people and companies donating money to public schools and private school scholarship funds–does not become law by the end of the legislative session in June. This option, in essence, would be drumming up candidates to challenge lawmakers opposing the bill, he said. *** ‘A rabbi today, I understand, I’m not gonna go into names but he mentioned some of the groups that went in and met with some of the assembly members and said, “Listen, we’re gonna run against you. We’re gonna put people up against you and you and you” and they even named the people they’re gonna put up,’ Mr. Golden said in an interview on the television show “The Jewish View” that was posted March 25....”

GOLDEN SPOKESMAN SAID THE STATE SENATOR SPOKE OUT “... IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT...”, BUT WOULD NOT DISCUSS DETAILS OF THE THREAT BY GOLDEN OR HIS LATEST "SECRET" ALLIES

In an effort at some kind of damage control, James McClelland, a spokesperson for Mr. Golden indicated that “... [i]t was said in the heat of the moment.... “There were no specifics and no one was singled out. [He] didn’t offer any names....” Although Mr. McClelland acknowledged. that threats were made, he noted that they were not specific to any lawmaker; however he refused to disclose who the unnamed rabbi mentioned by his boss Golden might have been, or to what organization that Rabbi belonged.

It’s hard to conceive that Golden would do anything this embarrassing to Catholic Church leaders or the Bishop of Brooklyn; but with this new rambunctious Marty, who knows what the future might bring.

SOME SAY IT’S MARTY'S TRYING TO DISTRACT US FROM SEEING LITTLE BOMBS IN THE NYS BUDGET FOR THE COMING YEAR, LIKE THIS ONE

It seems that the newest New York State budget continues to fund a local “operation” that houses many questionable, but politically connected “programs.” Here’s how another of the former local beat writers, Chris Bragg, put it in the Albany Times-Union’s “Capitol Confidential”: “The recently passed state budget steers $505,000 to a nonprofit that was intensely scrutinized by the Moreland Commission on public corruption during its foreshortened nine-month lifespan. *** In a preliminary report issued in December 2013 detailing its ongoing investigations, the Moreland Commission devoted several paragraphs to its investigation of ‘one small storefront in New York City that appears to house several interconnected non-profit organizations that receive state funding to provide various medical services.’ *** Though unnamed in the report, the organization was later identified as Relief Resources, a mental health services referral provider in the largely Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Borough Park, Brooklyn....” ( See “Budget steers $505K to Moreland-scrutinized charity” by Chris Bragg, 4/8/15, Albany Times-Union/ blog.timesunion.com [http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/231972/budget-steers-505k-to-moreland-scrutinized-charity/]). [btw, I said, "...from the beginning" but not "to the end..."]

Chris Bragg went on to say that “... [t]he Moreland report stated that the [charity mentioned above] had received nearly $3 million in taxpayer dollars largely from a wide variety of lawmakers’ pork-barrel grants, including some from members whose districts fall outside Brooklyn. Yet the Relief funds “certainly didn’t go to improve the health of anybody in New York City,” Moreland co-chair William Fitzpatrick said in an interview just after the preliminary report’s release. ‘Who got those dollars?’...” And that “... Relief Resources received this year’s $505,000 through a reappropriation of pork-barrel spending that had been approved in a previous budget, but not yet spent. Its inclusion in this year’s $142 billion spending plan is another example of what the good-government group Citizens Union dubbed in a report last month ‘Spending in the Shadows,’ through a process allowing funds to be allocated by lawmakers with relatively little scrutiny, rather than through competitively bid contracts’...”

HERE’S THE PART THAT GOLDEN DOESN’T WANT TO SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY

According to the Bragg report in the Albany Times-Union, “... before new member items ceased in 2010, records show that Relief received $475,000 from Brooklyn Republican [S]tate Sen. Marty Golden; $500,000 jointly from Golden and ex-Senate Republican leader Joe Bruno; and $300,000 from ex-Queens state Sen. Malcolm Smith, a Democrat convicted of bribery in February. It also received a $300,000 New York City Council member item sponsored by Felder, before his 2012 election to the [S]tate Senate....”

All of that “support” continues under Golden’s GOP Majority Leader Dean Skelos — but with State Senator Simcha Felder voting with Golden’s caucus, Golden now can stay about one step away from “ground zero.” (Wait a minute, this isn’t the “Nuclear Option” part; however, the overlaps should be obvious.)

31 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Looks like the Senator currently being investigated by federal prosecutors is using Dan Donovan's campaign as a ruse to invite district leaders around the county to the Bay Ridge Manor (!) this week for a meeting.

Didn't he learn his lesson in 2013? When he was inferring that someone else was under federal investigation?

A WORD FROM THE PRODUCERS OF THIS SHOW (I KNOW THAT I DON’T HAVE A SHOW, BUT EVERYBODY ELSE DOES, SO JUST LET ME PRETEND): IMPORTANT FOR MY HEALTH AND WELL-BEING — PLEASE SEE THE “BTW-FYI” ITEM BELOW

It’s late in the afternoon on Saturday, April 11, 2015 — It’s plenty early in the day to pick up where we left things off late last night..........

BTW — FYI: A word to my more loyal and less pain-in-the-a** BSIs [yes, that means the “real Republican–non-Democrat ‘All Hillary all the time,’ BSIs,” who will obviously continue to do whatever the hell they want]: when you see that I have posted a very late-night feature, don’t call me in the wee-hours before 10:00 AM the next morning with what you think is “urgent” add-on material.

If it is so “urgent” that it needs immediate publication, do it as a comment on your own – I know that you know how to do that.

THE LATEST FROM CAMP MARTY GOLDEN [DEFINITELY NOT A “SOON-TO-BE-CLOSED” OUTPOST IN AFGHANISTAN — BUT, FROM THE LOOKS OF IT, SOON-TO-BE A FUNCTIONING OUTPOST OF “ALIEN” POLITICAL POWERS INSIDE THE BROOKLYN GOP]

IS MARTY AT IT AGAIN ? ANOTHER BIG “POLITICAL MEETING” AT THE BAY RIDGE MANOR — IS MARTY USING THE DONOVAN CAMPAIGN AS COVER FOR ANOTHER LAST MINUTE EFFORT TO SHAKE-UP THE BROOKLYN GOP ?

FROM CAMP MARTY GOLDEN: It looks like there’s a whole new bunch of the “Who’s Who” hanging around the camp fires at Camp Marty Golden. We now see and hear that there is a “James McClelland” and probably there are a few more — but McClelland is enough for me to ask-around about for now.

James McClelland is described as a “spokesman” for Marty Golden in one of the articles cited in the main post above. On his Linked-In site, he says that he hails from Middle Village, Queens and he is a political consultant and an advisor to State Senator Golden. Hmmmm ! Queens ? Hmmmm ! Wait a minute, he’s a former Chief of Staff for Queens Democrat Councilman Peter Koo ? Hmmmm ! Queens, Democrat ? ? Hmmmm ! Just hold on another minute, Chief of Staff for Democrat State Senator Simcha Felder, Democrat from Boro Park. Hmmmm ! Democrat State Senator, Boro Park ? ? ? Now get this, if working for Democrats wasn’t bad enough, is this the same James McClelland from Middle Village that’s been the Republican District Leader there (not to mention that James McClelland’s involvement in the GOP “Spy vs Spy” conspiracies that resulted in [just who is that exactly] becoming Queens County Chairman ? ? ? Hold on, what’s this — until March of this year McClelland was saying that he wanted to get the full-time job as District Manager for the troubled CB9 in Queens ( He lost out to a woman named Lisa Gomes). This is all making my head ache — maybe it’s just a bad dream.

Is McClelland a Golden-staffer, a consultant or what ? And why is he suddenly Marty Golden’s “spokesman” on something as controversial as Marty Golden talking about some “Nuclear Options” in, for and by the Boro Park Orthodox Jewish community ? ? ? ? ? There’s a pattern here with this James McClelland, but I can’t quite make out its full outlines, much less its consequences.

A SPECIAL MEETING AT THE BAY RIDGE MANOR — THIS WEEK — WEDNESDAY

Suddenly Marty’s and his guys have called a special meeting of GOP “District Leaders” to meet at the Bay Ridge Manor — I’ve been told it’s Wednesday night; and the cover story is that it’s for the Donovan Campaign for Congress in the 11th Cong. Dist.

I’m sure it is (wink, nod, tap the side of your nose twice........).

One thing that can be said about Golden and his new “crew” — they haven’t learned a thing from Golden and his old crew.

In response to your "btw" rude and pompous BSI pain in the a** remark, refrain from posting about Hillary and her candidacy and then you will not have comments correcting your posts. It really is that simple. Leave Hillary and the Democrats alone and focus on your own little GOP Republican world of South Brooklyn. See, problem solved.

And btw, Marty Golden has as you know retained one of the best criminal defense attorneys in NY. If you think Bob Gottlieb is going to allow him to do anything with even the appearance of impropriety or conflict then you are as naïve as the first commenter.

Your Jim McClelland's formal title is "Advisor to Senator Martin Golden." McClelland says that he started with Golden in April 2015; and he lists the Golden gig as his place of employment. For some reason, McLelland says that he is “in charge” of Golden’s two offices, but what does that mean for Chief of Staff Jerry Kassar.

Now to local Jim McLelland in Queens. I’m pretty sure that he was Melinda Katz' communications director for years until they had a falling out that involved some flap with Curtis Sliwa. I’m pretty sure that Jim was a longtime Democrat, and he was given several jobs as a Democrat. There was some talk that when he went to work for Interim City Councilman Anthony Como that changed his party enrollment to Republican, but that he changed it back again to Dem when he went to work for someone else who was a Democrat.

I guess now McClelland is a Republican again because of his appointment to spots in the Queens GOP organization, and now being put “in charge of Marty Golden’s offices.”

Jim McClelland was involved in the civil war between Phil Ragusa and Bart and John Haggerty over control of the Queens Republican Party. (Yes, we have a GOP out here too in the 33rd county and it would actually make the Brooklyn GOP look like, well, an organized political party.)Ragusa (I believe he's gone to his eternal rest) and McClelland had an unseemly falling out at some point. Jim McClelland was an ally of the Haggerty's - a big name in Queens GOP politics. John Haggerty went to prison (famously). John Haggerty's ex-wife who had the goods on everyone affiliated with the local GOP went on to get a nice gig with Joe Hynes in the DA's office briefly (Joe was always good like that)but she bailed when the Hynes' regime came crashing down. Then Msgr. Kieran Harrington hired her at DeSales media reviewing contracts. She replaced the good lady Grace who was very upset because she for years was loyal to Msgr. Dempsey and covered up all his computer searches - which eventually caught up with him. Bart Haggerty meanwhile is still trying to curry favor with the wonderful Bob Turner who has come in to save the Queens GOP from itself. Crazy Catz has given us lots of money to reinvigorate the party. I trust Bob Turner will use the Catz money more wisely than Eaton has in Brooklyn. Bet we'll get a rented office on Queens Blvd even. Some say that Bob Turner has no use for the Jim McClelland guy but I have not confirmed this. If so, it is understandable why he would move on over to the Brooklyn GOP. The general word is he is not thought of too highly around these parts. So that's it in a rambling nutshell. Also, the Queens GOP hub for all political gossip is usually the steps of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs on the boulevard - just like you have Saint Anselm's on a Saturday eve or Sunday morn. Do you also have a Msgr. Dempsey? Oh yes, you did. You once did. But he was moved. Saint Pat's did too. The other parish a stone's throw from the bridge I hear still does . . .

SHE'S BAAAACK! Anon.... @ 4:30 AM starts off by talking about McClelland being a Queens GOP person, but then everything changes into who had what jobs in Hynes' Brooklyn DA's Office, and who replaced whom at some Monsignor's place, and specific stuff comparing parishes in Bay Ridge and out in Queens....

Hello you above with the annoying over-use of capital letters: My comment on McClelland was made to help flesh out a fuller description of who he is so as to help the Marty Golden folks among you better understand the new addition to his office. It seemed Gale (who although is often imperious and condescending toward those not in his inner circle but can sometimes be very kind)did not have the full description of Jim. By sharing the brief anecdote of his involvement in the fractious GOP leadership relations in Queens I thought it would be helpful. I simply could have said that McClelland is a political consultant and the Queens version of Brooklyn's Gerry O'Brien but that did not seem to capture his identity. The further references came naturally from the telling of the earlier facts. It actually shows just how much the outer boroughs are the same when it comes to local GOP politics and their entwinement with Democrats and the Catholic Church.

When John Quaglione got hitched to Hynes in 2013 he was following the conventional wisdom at the time.

Around the same time, I made the exact same mistake with the editorial stance of this blog. I thought that a strong Hynes run would provide a strong uplift to the rest of the GOP ticket in Brooklyn generally, and in Bay Ridge in particular.

I was wrong about the net-lift to the rest of the ticket, but Hynes did run ahead of almost every Republican running in Brooklyn in 2013.

Oh please Gale, at least have some remorse for your actions when it comes to Hynes and don't be an apologist for Quaglione. Everyone of you embraced Republican Joe Hynes' campaign of division and community fear knowing full well how destructive it was for relations throughout Brooklyn. You and others who read this blog knew intimately how he destroyed the career of John O'Hara, the family of John Giuca, the life of Judge Phillips - just to name a few - and yet you chose to embrace him as a desperate GOP candidate. And to say now that you did so in order to gain a few votes for fellow Republican candidates? Well, that is shameful. John Quaglione was an ACTIVE supporter of Hynes when he ran as a GOP candidate in October. And your blog was considered a Hynes friendly blog to the media obsessed in his office. So where you stood then was quite clear. At least try to atone for it and express some humility - as it contributed to a lot of needless harm inflicted on innocent others.

WHENEVER I THINK OF "ATONEMENT" -- I SEE KIERA KNIGHTLY IN A WONDERFUL GREEN EVENING DRESS UP AGAINST A BOOKCASE --- AND THE BEST LINE I EVER HEARD ABOUT THE SPECIFICS OF THE EVENT, "... LIKE A PAIR OF SPIDERS"

To the "Conventional Wisdom" genius above that Quaglione latching on to Hynes was the smart move must come out from under that rock. After Hynes lost the democratic primary his born again republican campaign looked to everyone as just another desperate move by a tired old whore who turned his last trick.

OR THE "DOES IT REALLY 'TAKE TIME TRAVEL TO INVENT TIME TRAVEL' ?" EDITION

Hynes lost his primary in September 2013.

"And it's a long, long time from May to December... SEPTEMBER, NOVEMBER ...." --- Quaglione's campaign plans, including drafting off the Hynes campaign (which probably had lots of input from family, friends, colleagues, advisers and "handlers" of Mr. Q) all were made long before that September 2013 primary loss by Hynes.

If Quags got fooled in April or May 2013, so did LOTS of other people; including me and one or two of my GOP BSIs.

When Hynes had his Titanic-iceberg moment in September, the various candidates and Brooklyn GOP organization was stuck holding the bag of their own earlier 2013 plans for the Hynes campaign and all.

Also Joe Lohta's horrible city-wide race for Mayor probably buried John Quaglione's chances far more than the Hynes thing.

About Me

I formerly have commented on various political blogs concerning Republican politics. Although the focus of my political commentary has been on the Brooklyn GOP and other aspects of politics in Brooklyn, I have also posted commentary about national matters.
If you wish to contact Galewyn Massey directly, please, Email to galewynmasban@gmail.com